Meeting Them
by Kylara Kitsune
Summary: Ginny's been avoiding her mother's questioning about her boyfriend for far too long. She can't get away with it any longer.


**AN: What to say... Well, characters don't belong to me - they never do, unfortunately.**

"Ginny, when are we going to meet this boyfriend of yours?"

"I told you, mum, he's busy."

"Not so busy that he can't take you shopping, though. Bill said he saw you in Diagon Alley a few days ago, with a blond man, who had his arm around you."

"Mum, we were buying owl treats." Ginny could see that Molly Weasley was going to ask, just in case they'd been looking at engagement rings.

"Anyway, you haven't even told us his name."

There was a very good reason for that. Ginny didn't want her family to know her boyfriend's name, because she might never get out of the house alive again. That's because she was dating Draco Malfoy, long time nemesis of her brother Ron and his best friends (and honorary siblings) Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. If her mother didn't kill her, Ron definitely would. Hermione, she thought, might be a little more understanding.

At that moment, Ginny's mobile phone began to ring. She'd been introduced to the contraptions one summer, by Hermione, and quickly decided it was a faster way to contact someone than sending an owl. Hers, of course, worked by magic, and was also charmed to ring if her mother started talking about Ginny's boyfriend.

"Sorry, mum. I've got to go."

Molly Weasley sighed, but hugged her daughter goodbye. Ginny stepped through the floo, arriving at the house she and Draco shared. They weren't living at the manor – Ginny had refused, and Draco had then admitted he wasn't particularly fond of it. "You look stressed, Gin."

"Blame my mother for that. She wants to meet you."

Draco turned a rather sickly shade of green. "Ginny, I'll be eaten alive if your family find out. There's eight of them, ten if you count Potter and Granger, and only one of me."

"She's getting pretty insistent. I think I'll talk to Hermione first, she's not as hot tempered as the rest."

"So you say. She hits damn hard though." He was referring to the famous incident in their third year, when Hermione had slapped him in the face.

………………

"Hermione, I have a problem." The two women had met at a café, a muggle one, not far from where Ginny lived. "Mum wants to meet my boyfriend."

"Where's the harm in that?"

"You don't know who he is yet. She'll kill him, and then probably me as well, just for good measure."

"I doubt it. The only reason she'd do that is if he was someone like Malfoy." The look on Ginny's face told Hermione everything she needed to know. "It is Malfoy, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"You really do have a problem." There was silence for a while, as Hermione thought through their situation. "Why him, Ginny?"

"Because I love him, it's as simple as that. I can't imagine life without him any more."

"You're just going to have to do it – get it over with. See if you can get all your brothers out of the house at the same time, and just let him meet your parents to start with. He might have a chance if no-one's there to provoke him."

"Will you make sure Ron and Harry are nowhere near the Burrow that day?"

"Of course."

"Hermione, how come you're so calm about this? Most people I know would have an absolute fit if I told them."

"I got to know him a bit, during the war. He's not so bad, really."

……………….…

"I know it's just your parents, Gin, but that doesn't mean I'm not absolutely terrified."

"You'll be fine as long as you're polite to them." He refrained from making any sarcastic comments, concentrating instead on conjuring some flowers for Mrs Weasley, in the hope that it might make a good impression.

"Come on, Draco, we're going to be late." With that, they apparated to the Burrow. Ginny pushed open the door, calling her greetings as she did so.

"Ginny!" She was enveloped in a hug by Mrs Weasley.

"Mum, you only saw me a couple of days ago. This is Draco."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs Weasley."

"So this is why you were so reluctant to bring him here. What did you think I was going to do, bite his head off?"

"I wasn't sure, actually."

"Well, don't just stand there, come in, sit down. Arthur! Ginny's here." She shook her head, sighing. "He's out in the shed, playing with those muggle things again."

Arthur Weasley emerged from the shed, just as something in there exploded. His clothes were somewhat singed, and there was a definite smell of burning, but this was perfectly normal for him.

"Well, I have to say I wasn't expecting this."

"Dad, if you can't be nice, then we're leaving."

"Ginny, don't be rude to your father."

Draco stepped forward, holding out his hand for Mr Weasley to shake. "I apologise for anything my family may have done, but I am not responsible for their actions."

Mr Weasley studied him for a moment, then shook his hand warmly.

"No, you're not, though I… we… accept your apology."

Conversation was a little stilted, but considering this was the first time a Malfoy had spoken to the Weasleys without insults being thrown, it went very well. Until Harry, Ron and Hermione returned. Ron, it seemed, had forgotten something, and had insisted on returning to the Burrow to retrieve it.

"What is he doing here?" Ron immediately began to turn bright red.

"Ronald Weasley, he is a guest in this house, and you will mind your manners."

"I thought you had more sense than that, Ginny. Bringing a Malfoy here. Are you under the Imperius curse or something? What's he done to you?"

Ginny leapt up from her chair, brandishing her wand at her brother. "I have the right to see anyone I want, and if I choose Draco Malfoy, that's no-one's business but mine." She paused to glare fiercely at him. "And how dare you suggest that I am under a curse?"

Ron eyed her wand warily. Just because she was his sister didn't mean she wouldn't hex him. And her bat bogey hex was notorious. She'd probably learnt a few new ones as well. He backed away, grabbing whatever it was he'd come to fetch, and left. He was still grumbling audibly as he hurried out of the house – something about her taking Malfoy's side.

………………

Later that night, Draco and Ginny were able to laugh at Ron's reaction.

"He's somewhat predictable when he gets angry. Always tries to tell me what I can and can't do, not that I've ever paid any attention to him."

"You knew it would happen as soon as he saw me, though."

"Of course, though I'd hoped he wouldn't appear today. But I think mum's considering you as an honorary Weasley – so that went a lot better than I expected."

"An honorary Weasley?" Draco laughed again. "I think I could cope with that."

**AN: Reviews are always appreciated. Flames will be used to heat my freezing cold flat (or to burn my flatmate when he annoys me).**


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